Improvement in station-indicators



U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL FARNAN AND SAMUEL W. MGPHERSON, OF YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN STATION-INDICATORS Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,8 [3, dated J annary 27, 1874; application filed October 4, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MICHAEL FARNAN and SAMUEL W. MGPHERSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Station-Indicator, of which the following is a specification:

The invention will first be fully described,

- and then pointed out in the claim.

Figure l is a side elevation of our improved indicator. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation. Fig. 3 is a top view, and Fig. 4 is partly a front elevation and partly a sectional elevation.

A is the belt; B and O, the rollers; D and E, the ratchets for turning the rollers; F and G, the pawls for turning the ratchets; H, the pawl-lever for working the pawls; and I and J, cords for working the pawl lever. The pawl-lever is pivoted at K between the pawls, so that a movement of it in one direction turns one of the rollers, and a movement of it in the other direction turns the other one, and it is provided with a spring, L, by which it is maintained in the vertical position represented in Fig. 1, ready for being moved in either direction. The cords I and J extend in opposite directions, so that the pawl can be pulled in whichever direction it may be required to pull it, and one of the ratchets D is geared with its roller, so as to turn said roller oppositely to the direction in which the other one is turned by its ratchet.

The cords of the different cars, each having an indicator, will be connected so that the baggage-man, or any other person designated for the purpose, may shift all the indicators of a train at one operation, and the names on the belt will be so arranged that, whichever way the cars may be going, the change will be made by pulling the cord in the same direction, so that, by pulling by one cord when going one way, and the other cord when going the other way, the requisite forward and backward motions of the indicator-belt will be the platform through the window to save go-- ing into the car purposely to see the name through the front opening T where the names of the stations are seen. To connect the belt to the rollers, and disconnect it readily, we make a hem in the end and run a rod, P, through it along a groove,

Q, in the side of the roll, and through staples It, at the edges of the belt, to hold it.

To sound the alarm-bell at the same time that the belt is shifted, we provide a bell-hammer, R, on each side of the bell, and in such relation to the pawl-lever that no matter which way the pawl-lever goes it will sound the bell.

S represents tensionsprings, for preventing the rollers from overrunning the belt.

\Ve propose to utilize the belt for an advertisin g medium by printing advertisements upon the margins, or in any other suitable way, along with the names of the stations, placing a different one to each name, which it is believed will be an attractive mode of advert-ising.

Having thus described our invention, we

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- p y The combination of cords I J, lever H haw ing pawls F G and pivoted at K, the ratchet and the gear-pinions with the roll B 0, all connected with belt A, as and for the purpose dcscribed.

MICHAEL FARNAN. SAMUEL W. MGPHERSON. Witnesses:

T. B. MOSHER,

ALEX. F. RoBERTs. 

